Picking up the Pieces
by Blue33143
Summary: Sequel : Lies and Promises. It has been 1 year since IT happened. Paul has been placed in a support group with people who have suffered a similar tragedy. Having convinced everyone he is fine, this is his final therapy. But when the person who started it all shows up, Paul is forced to except his friends help, for the threat is worse then last time. Darkstreakshipping (Paul/Gary)
1. Chapter 1

**Here is the sequel to Lies and Promises! Hope you like it! I will try and keep the updates coming.**

**This is written in first person and it switches point of views. (Probably only between Paul and Gary) This is different than my other one but it is for a reason. I think that to write about the kind of grief and recover that I want to write about, I want to be able to get directly into the character's head. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter One:

**Paul:**

I couldn't stop staring at the clock, the date flashed in the corner of the screen.

_One year….._

It had been on year since I was hurt. One year and it didn't hurt any fricken less. I covered my face with my hands, trying to shield myself from the world. Of course, no one else knew I wasn't feeling better. I had been going to therapy every week.

I had gotten good at lying.

I was told that if I talked about it, I would feel better. Like hell I was going to do that…. I was trying my best to forget it.

Gary was a huge help, he didn't push me to do anything, neither talking nor touching me in any way I was not perfectly ok with. I had been living with his family now for a few months. School had just started…. Tenth grade… yay.

I was top of the class again, Torterra and me still the best team, no one had any reason not to believe that I haven't recovered.

You don't just recover from something like that.

I rolled over in bed. My hands move to clutch my stomach tightly, sighing, I get up. It's only three in the morning… I shouldn't be up yet. I get my clothes out of the dresser. I still wear long sleeves…. Haven't brought myself to even allow my neck to show yet.

Dressing in jeans and a turtle neck, I head to the bedroom door, leaning out of the doorway, glancing down the hall towards Gary and his parents room. No lights are on. I grab Torterra's pokeball before heading downstairs.

**Gary:**

I sat in bed, unable to sleep. I knew what day it was and wanted nothing more than to run into Paul's room, hug him and never let go, tell him that none of it meant anything.

But it did, to him at least. I think he's recovering ok but you can never know with Paul, he's a good liar. He won't talk about what happened…. The therapist says he has to.

I tried bringing it up last week, he glared at me and simply said, "I don't want to talk about IT."

That's what he called everything to do with the situation now. IT. His therapist, Katie says that it isn't healthy but I'm not going to be the one to tell him to stop, he just started getting back to his old self, happier than his old self actually. Then again, can't tell with him…..

I sigh, getting up. I throw on a robe and open the door to my room, heading down the hallway to Paul's. I open the door slowly, expecting him to either be curled up asleep or quietly waiting for morning.

He's not in the room. I go inside, looking around frantically for him. He's not there. If he has a panic attack while he's alone…..

I run down the stairs, there is no lights on. I am about to go get my parents when I notice some movement outside. I open the door and sprint outside. Paul is sitting by Torterra, his hand stroking the pokemon as he talked to it. I stand, my hands across my chest, glaring at him.

**Paul:**

I hear the slam of a door and I turn around swiftly. I flush and look down at my feet. Gary.

"What are you doing?" he asks grumpily. I don't answer, just play with my hands. He worries about me a lot, I know that. I look up at him, trying come up with an answer.

"I couldn't sleep."

He sighs and sits down next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me against him. The cold wind makes me shiver and he opens his robe and allows me in, leaning back against Torterra, he strokes my hair softly.

"You ok? I know what day it is…." I play with his thin shirt quietly, ignoring the question. I hate to lie to him directly…. I curl into his robe, allowing his warmth to fill my body. "We should go back inside Paul…." He reaches out and returns Torterra for me, standing up and lifting me up with him. He is bigger and stronger then I am, making it easy for him to pick me up completely.

I wrap my arms around his waist to stay up, not wanting for him to put me down. This is not a sexual gesture, we hadn't done anything past really kissing and touching with our clothes on. I was to scared to take another step.

"Why don't you sleep with me tonight?" he says. This is something that I only do when I absouletely can't sleep. It is not that I don't trust him, just that I am to nervous to do it regulary. It does however help me sleep when I can't.

I nod, squeezing his neck with my arms. He carries me up the stairs and into his room, laying me down on the bed. He leaves for a moment and comes back with my pajamas.

"Put them back on, I'll turn around." He says casually. Sighing, I do as he says, trying not to look at my own body. I still have…. Scars and marks from my… experience last year.

"I'm done. You can turn around."

He does and gets me to lay down on the bed before joining me. He pulls the covers up and wraps his arm around my waist. I snuggle up against him, my eyes closing. I feel his hand come up to my face, lifting my chin.

He makes eye contact with me, his grip firm but gentle. He leans forward and kisses me softly, pulling back, he smiles at me comfortingly. "I love you, what happened last year doesn't change that." he give me a little shake, "You know that right? Answer me Paul."

I nod before trying to pull away. He holds on tightly, his eyes looking dead at me. He sighs and releases me, pulling me to him again.

"Good night," he whispers. I reply by curling into his shoulder.

I spend the rest of the night in a sort of daze, neither asleep, or conscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so I don't know how popular this story is going to be, but if you haven't read the first one, you WILL NOT understand this one. **

**I guess you could try if you wanted though. :D**

**Hope you enjoy. **

**SORRY ABOUT THE MIX UP! IT HAS BEEN CORRECTED! SORRY!**

Chapter Two:

**Gary:**

We get to school around ten minutes early, and spend those minutes in the courtyard, talking to friends. Paul seems nervous the entire time but doesn't show it really.

Dawn is unusually cheerful, trying to keep the mood up. I try and help her but I don't think Paul even hears us.

"So, why don't we all go to the movies after school?" Dawn says happily. Ash immediately agrees, May follows. I look down at Paul but he continues to stare into space. I sigh and turn back to Dawn.

"We'll both be there." I say smiling. She claps excitedly.

"Great! See you then!" the bell rings and we all head to advisory quickly. As we enter the room, I see Audrey and Emily get up and follow me and Paul over to our groups corner of the room. Growling slightly I turn to confront them.

Paul beats me to it.

"What do you two want?" he says spinning around. Audrey smirks and replies.

"Just wanted to make sure our little Paulie's ok on this special day…" she says sitting down in a chair, leaning back and looking up at him. Emily follows suit. Paul surprisingly doesn't react, simply glares at her.

"I'm fine." He turns around again but she does something else. She stood up and wrapped her arm around his waist, before pushing him into the chair, leaning over him. She made sure that one foot was between his legs. Leaning forward towards his face, she whispered plainly,

"You sure about that? With Reggie gone, who's going to protect you from all the bad people out there who might want to take advantage of such a-" Dawn rammed into her, knocking her to the floor and away from Paul. Ash had to hold her back as she tried to attack her again.

"Shut up you-" Ash covered her mouth as well. I grabbed Paul out of the chair, pulling him against me. I notice that he locks his legs together, closing his eyes.

Emily helps Audrey up, though she doesn't look hurt. Smirking, she flicks Dawn's nose before going back to her seat. "See you later Paul."

Ash released Dawn and she spun around, glaring at him.

"Why did you stop me!?"

"'Cause ripping someone apart is not a good start to the day." He replies easily.

"But-"

"It doesn't matter." Paul mutters. "Leave it alone."

"But-"

"Leave it Dawn!" he yelps angrily. She sighs and sits down.

"I'm not an idiot, I know what day it is, along with just about everyone else," she mumbles, "And not just that, she touched you. That's not right. If you're not going to stand up for yourself, then I will!"

He leans back against me before nodding to her. The door opened and the teacher walked in. After taking attendance, he stood up in front of the class, his gaze serious.

"You all know what day it is, and I expect that it is respected. Do not push me or any other teacher, we will take extreme measures to insure that today is calm and easy for those who were involved last year." I feel Paul tense as half the class turns to face him. "I myself, wish to offer my greatest apologies and hope that this year is a much easier time." He sighs. "Dismissed."

…

**Paul:**

I stare up at my teacher as he drowns on and on during science. I take notes but I can't concentrate today. My mind keeps on drifting off to other things…. Mostly IT.

I rub my hands through my hair, brushing my long purple bangs from my face before determinedly trying to pay attention. When the bell finally rings, I nearly run into the hallway. That's when I freeze, realizing what time it is.

Lunch.

Breathing in a sigh, I walk down the hallway as calmly as I can towards my locker. I get to it, quickly opening it up and shoving my backpack in. I think for a moment before sneaking Torterra's pokeball into my pocket. I wasn't about to leave it behind.

Pokemon were supposed to be in our lockers during lunch, but today I needed the feeling of protection. Keeping my hand in my pocket, I look around for Gary or any of my other friends.

Dawn spots me before I see her and quickly runs over, latching onto me before beginning to walk to lunch. We arrive and quickly get out food before approaching our normal table. Everyone joins us moments later. I barely eat anything despite what my friends beg me.

After lunch, Dawn, Gary, Ash, May and I all have PE again next period. We head to that. I still get nervous around that class, but our replacement coach was a great guy and he understood what had happened. He was constantly making sure I was comfortable and though many would think I was annoyed by that, I was happy that he cared.

I got changed in the far corner of the room, making sure that no one saw me. I can still see the marks on my body that mark what happened to me, and I wasn't about to let anyone else see them. We are the only ones in the gym when the lights suddenly go out.

I yelp, my hands fumbling with my clothes to get Torterra's ball. I am dressed so I have to find my bag before getting back my old clothes and getting it.

"Gary? Gary where are you?" memories of what happened the last time the lights when out in the gym begin to flash through my mind and make me even more frantic to find him. "Gary, answer me please!"

"Here Paul, come here its ok." I feel comforting arms wrap around my waist. I press against him quickly before we try to find Ash. We find him and leave the locker room to go find Dawn and May. We find them in front of the locked door of the gym.

"We can't get through." Dawn mutters, frustrated. "I can't seem to get the door opened."

**Gary:**

I tighten my grip on Paul. I am going to kill whoever locked us in here…. We can barely see anything…. so I guess the smart thing to do is to wait until the bell rings when everyone else is going to show up. We are about to just sit down and sort of camp out when we hear a noise coming from the back of the gym.

The hair on the back of my neck rises and I clutch onto Paul's shoulder even tighter.

"What was that?" Dawn whispers nervously. It sounded like some kind of wounded animal.

"Should we go check it out?" May replies. She doesn't really look like she wants to do that at all.

Ash nods firmly. "Did anyone bring their pokemon?"

"Lunch, Ash, we aren't allowed-"

"I got Torterra." Paul says suddenly. We all stare at him for a minute before nodding.

"Good," I say and look back at the others. "Should we go then?" They don't look real anxious to do anything but we don't have much of a choice. If it is something, it's going to find us if we don't find it.

We enter the main part of the gym quickly, Paul releasing Torterra the second there is enough room. Our eyes are starting to adjust to the dark but we can barely see anything.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Ash shouts into the blackness. No reply. Like there would be….

We begin to walk forward, Paul surprises me when he decides to take the lead with Torterra. He seems nervous, but I do remember him mentioning something about the gym being one of the places where….

Not the time to think about that. He goes slightly too far and we lose sight of him. It's too quiet. I don't like this.

"Paul, come back." I shout, "This isn't right-"

I hear two loud screams echo through the room, one of which is Paul's.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

**Gary:**

"Paul!" I shout running forward, blind. The screams die down and I hear Paul's voice ring out.

"Audrey! What the hell are you doing?!"

"I could ask you the same thing Shinji! You scared me half to death! And that pokemon almost killed me! You're lucky it missed!"

I could vaguely see their outlines now in the darkness. I could also vaguely see the rubble of part of the gym wall. We're going to be in trouble for that one….

"Do you have Arcanine with you?" Paul asks quickly. She nods. "Let's see if we can find some wood or something to make a torch." She nods, this time with more emphasis.

"I agree, I can't see a thing in here."

I run over to them with Ash, Dawn, and May with me. Paul and Audrey are both flushed from the scare and neither one looks very happy with the other. I frown at the damage that Torterra created.

"That is really going to take some explaining." Dawn mutters quietly. Luckily, the rubble gives us some wood and we use that along with a piece of torn shirt to create a torch. We also ask her to leave Arcanine out. This place is getting scarier by the minute.

Sitting down in the center of the gym with our fire, we begin to wait for the bell.

"Does anyone have a cellphone with them?" Ash asks looking around. We all shake our heads. Trying to make conversation, we sit close together. Even Paul and Audrey seemed to except each other's presence.

I remain next to Paul, trying to judge how nervous he is. I can tell by the shaking that something is wrong.

"Hey, everything's ok." I whisper into his ear. He looks up at me and his eyes tell me that he's more than just nervous. Whatever happened in the gym was bad. I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him to me. He lies against me, closing his eyes and gripping my arm. No one says anything about it, not even Audrey.

We hear another large bang and Paul stands straight up, his eyes wide. We all turn towards it, trembling. I stand up and call out.

"Who's there? Come out." No one answers. Like they would if they were there…..

I am about to sit back down when I hear the first scream. No one in our group says anything, just stares in the direction it comes from. It continues, in huge, pain filled shrieks. I turn to investigate when Paul sprints right past me.

"Paul-"

"This isn't right Gary!" he shouts back turning the corner around the bleachers and disappearing from view. Audrey grabs my hand when I try to follow.

"Gary… this doesn't seem right." She whispers.

"Some kind of prank, Audrey? He's had enough you know." I growl at her. She shakes her head.

"I swear I don't know what's going on, please just make this stop!" she replies honestly. I push her away before running after Paul. He is frozen, staring at the floor in front of him.

"What-" I cut off. Laying, dead on the floor is the remains of our new PE teacher. Remains is the correct word. His arms have been ripped from his sockets and his face is unrecognizable. The rest of his body is badly beaten and cut, burns are displayed along his chest. And we find out that the screams we heard were his last, a knife lies deep in his chest.

Paul takes another step back and suddenly slips. I try and catch him but fall as well.

**Paul:**

I hit the ground hard, the shock jolted out of me. I can't believe he's dead…. I feel the ground. It's wet. Lifting one finger to my face, I smell the substance.

"GARY! WE GOT TO RUN!" I grab his hand and pull him to his feet, skidding out the door. He is about to protest when I pull him just far enough that he doesn't catch on fire. The room burst into flames, destroying any evidence.

"What was that?" he whispers.

"Kerosene." I mutter in reply. "That was some kind of trap." I'm at the moment, trying to control the urges my body sends me. I know that the PTS is about to act up and I feel a panic attack coming on. I hear the footsteps of our friends approaching and I turn quickly to face them.

"What's going on-" they see the fire.

"What was in there?" Dawn whispers.

"Coach….' Gary mutters in reply. We all watch the fire until finally I manage to come to my senses.

"Someone had to set that fire, just a minute ago…. Where are they now…" I squeak. We freeze, moving closer together.

"We should get in the corner with the pokemon in front." Gary says. "That way, we can't be surprised." We do as he says, all of us still in shock at the death.

We do as we planned, sitting on the ground waiting for the next few minutes until we hear someone knocking on the door. We leap to our feet, shouting for help. We don't want to leave the safety of our corner. Clutching onto Gary as the room is flooded with people, we recount what we had just seen.

Finding out about the death, we are forced to wait for our parents to pick us up and school is closed… for a while. I couldn't really say anything during the entire interview and spent most of my time stuttering, trying to get the words out.

When Mr. and Mrs. Oak arrived to pick us up, they had a doctor talk to them alone. I recognized him as one of the doctor's I had seen before… not one that I had liked. Gary and I watch them as they have their conversation. His parents seem to get into some kind of debate.

As they're voices get louder, I can just make out what they're saying.

"Not possible….. Paul doesn't even know!... no your decision…"

"Gary, do you know what they are talking about?" I whisper. He shakes his head.

"But I'm going to find out…." he growls walking towards them furiously. "You have a right to know if it's about you!"

**Ok, sorry for this late update. I am not going to have another one for a few days, my hotspot is disappearing and I have no other way to get internet. (I am at the moment in the middle of the woods….) Sorry! I will probably have like…. 2-4 Chapter when I get my internet back!**


	4. Chapter 4

**OK, again sorry about the other mix up…. I still owe you this Chapter. :D Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Four:

**Gary:**

I approached them, anger written plainly on my face. My parents turn to face me, realizing that I must have heard something they said.

"Gary, honey-"

"What's going on?" I growl at them. Paul is simply standing next to me, his head down. I gesture towards him, "If it's about him, why don't you let him listen? Let him know what you guys are talking about." I glare at the doctor. He looks flustered, his eyes jumping between Paul and me.

"I have to go-"

"No you don't." I growl again. He stops where he is. My parents turn to me.

"Gary… it is about Paul… but it is simply better if he doesn't know what we're talking about! It will keep him less stressed-"

"You know he's standing right next to me Mom. You don't have to refer to him in the third person."

"Son, don't you dare talk to your mother that way-"

"Then don't talk behind Paul's back." I know this is going to come flying back in my face later, all of the screaming I'm doing right now, but after all the stress of the day…. A MURDER FOR GOD'S SAKE, I had about a pinch of patience left.

The doctor turns back to us. "He is right. Paul does deserve to understand what is going on." Sighing, he turns back to my parents. "With your permission, I will fill him in." They regrettably nod. He turns back to Paul. "I'll start from the beginning. Mr. Faulk-" Paul flinches and takes a step behind me. I glare at the doctor again, letting him know to tread lightly on this subject. "Mr. Faulk has escaped from prison, with what appears to be outside help."

It is almost inaudible, but I hear the sharp intake of breath from Paul. I grasp his hand in mine and squeeze it, muttering softly, "I won't let anyone hurt you…'

The doctor continues. "They are worried that he may be involved with this murder."

"Evidence?" I snap.

"The gym teacher. In a room that Paul was assaulted in." I glance at Paul. He keeps his eyes low.

"But you're a doctor, what business do you have with this kind of investigation?"

"I am a psychologist. I have been selected to….. question Paul further. If Mr. Faulk did commit this murder, then he may follow a similar pattern. Or, he may begin to stalk Paul. Other inmates reported that he has a special hatred for you, along with a reoccurring… desire for you." He says carefully looking at Paul.

"What kind of psychology are you going to use?" I mutter angrily. "He's not some kind of experiment you know."

"I never implied he was. I just want to ask some further questions about what happened during last fall." He swallows, "Paul, you have stated multiple times that you 'cannot remember'. They have found a way in which they believe they can help you with that."

"Therapy doesn't work." Paul says, the first thing he's spoken in the whole conversation.

"This kind might. It's new, you've never done it before but it has worked for many people."

"What is it?" I say, crossing my arms.

"Simple group therapy. For other people who've been-"

"We know…" I mumble. He raises an eyebrow but leaves it at that.

"We may no longer take no for an answer. If Mr. Faulk did it and is going to follow a pattern, you must remember."

I turn and grab Paul by the arm, dragging him away from my parents and the doctor. I manage to sneak us past the police and into an empty alley behind the school. When we are alone, I turn to face him.

"You ok? Hey, it's me…. talk to me….." I say gently when he tries half-heartedly to pull out of my grip. "What are you thinking?"

"I-" he cuts off. I shake him slightly.

"Come on Paul… can you remember anything? Do you think the therapy is going to work?"

"I don't know! Ok!" he snaps. "I don't want to go to this therapy thing and I don't want to remember!"

"You have to Paul-"

"It's blank, Gary! Sometimes I dream flashes but other than that, it's completely blank!"

This time he tries to pull away for real, I hold him tightly, not allowing him to escape.

"Calm down…. you don't have to worry about that right now…. let's just go home…"

….

**Paul:**

After taking a shower, I simply sat on my bed, staring out the window at the rain. I had tried to call Reggie but his girlfriend Maylene had picked up and said that he was out. I sigh and turn lay down, switching my gaze to the ceiling.

I hear a knock on the door, and can already tell it's Gary. He has a specific way of knocking…

"Come in…"

He does, sighing when he sees me on the bed.

"I'm sorry that I yelled." He tries. We had had a huge fight when we got home, yelling and screaming at each other… well…. He did most of the screaming, I just ran off after a while of listening to what he was saying.

"I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry if I scared you." He whispers, running his hand through my hair. I allow him to do so, ignoring how much I want to just shove him away. His touch is comforting.

"I just get worried about you…. You never talk about it and the doctors say you should-"

"I don't care what the doctors say, Gary." I say angrily. He recoils and his hand jumps from my head.

"Why don't you at least try Paul? Someone died… and more might if you don't remember something!"

I push myself away from him, leaning against the other wall.

"I can't."

Gary freezes, his mouth already open for a comeback.

"What-"

"I can't."

"You can't?"

"I can't remember Gary."

"Why not…." he asks softly.

"It scares me." I whisper. He wraps one of his arms around my waist softly, and my head slips to his shoulder. I breathe in, taking in his scent. He's warm and it helps take out the bite of the cold fall air.

"Nothing's going to happen Paul. Not when I'm around."

He leans down and kisses me on the lips. I kiss back forcefully, wanting every last one of his gentle touches in the moment. His hand around my waist lifts me onto his lap, his other one joining it on my hip. I allow him to do so, along with deepening the kiss.

I groan when he runs his hands along my sides, pulling me down so I'm sitting on his lap, my legs on either side of his. He pulls me to him, lowering his hands from my hips. I continue to allow him, pulling away only for a brief moment for air before going back for another kiss.

He groans when I softly bite his collar bone, slipping his shirt down to do so. He reaches towards my own shirt, moving his hand so it now rests on my bare skin, running its way over my stomach and upward towards my chest.

I pull away suddenly, with great speed. A flash just jumped across my memory, scaring me. I know that Gary's not IT but….

I shake my head. He has already stopped, just watching me, waiting for my reaction.

"You ok?" he says gently. I nod.

"Yeah…. Fine…."

He smiles when I climb over again, slipping under the covers.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" he asks. I nod. He slips in next to me, wrapping his strong arms around me before talking again. "That's the farthest we've ever gone…." I nod again. "Thank you." He leans over and turns off the light before closing his eyes.

I lean over so my head is on his chest. Without thinking about it, I answer him a few minutes later.

"I liked it too."

I can barely see the outline of his smile in the dark, and he lightly squeezes my waist to let me know that he heard me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, thanks again for reading!**

Chapter Five:

**Paul:**

I clutch onto Gary's arm as I am led into the center. School is still closed, so we haven't done anything all day.

Except for him trying to convince me that this is a good idea.

We walk up to the front counter, where a small man with graying white hair is sitting, hunched over writing something on a notepad. Gary clears his throat to get his attention.

He looks up, peering out from underneath half-moon glasses. "Yes?"

"Paul Shinji is here for his-"

"Yes! Yes! Come in, come in. You can leave sir. I can handle him from here." I don't let go of Gary's arm. The man walks around the counter, around my height he takes my own arm gently. "Come on. Let's go…." His voice is gentle, asking me to trust him.

I wasn't going anywhere with him. I clutch Gary's arm even tighter. He uses his other hand to pry me off him slowly.

"No!" I say insistently trying to grab him again. "I don't want to-"

"I'll be back soon, don't worry." Gary says softly. The old man smiles at me gently before taking my forearm and pulling me away. He's surprisingly strong.

I decide to stop resisting, and just spend the rest of the time silent. They couldn't force me to do anything I didn't want to.

He pulls me into another room after a long hallway. Inside, is around eight other kids, all sitting in a circle. I glare at them when they look at me. Most are girls, but three are boys.

"Paul, I am Mr. J, I want to welcome you to our therapy group."

I pull away from him, but he doesn't seem fazed. He gestures to a chair but I don't sit. I'm too nervous. He smiles at me, supposedly comfortingly. I glare at him.

He sighs before turning back to the rest of the group.

"Why don't we all start by telling our names and stories to the newcomer? That way we can all get to know each other." He smiles again. "Who wants to go first?"

A girl surprisingly raises her hand. "My name is Isa." She smiles at me. "I've been in this group since it first started." She scratches her arm before continuing. "I was raped when I was only eight years old. I barely knew what was going on. I didn't know the man… I had been walking home from school when he-" I flinch, and pull back. I can't listen to this….

She continues, telling how she was dragged into an alley and pushed up against a dumpster. She finally finishes, telling about how the police found her barely conscious.

Next comes a guy names Nick. He knew the rapist, his older sister's boyfriend. As he says his story, I back up against the wall, closing my eyes and biting my lip enough to make it bleed. I feel so sick….

Gina comes next, telling all about how she was attacked by her soccer coach, about how she could have avoided it by not ignoring his constant flirting and touching of her.

My nails dig into my palms and I squeeze my eyes shut. I want all this to stop….

Over and over again. I hear the stories of Ida, Nick, Gina, Stephanie, Flower, Dakota, Derek, and Jake. By the end of it, I'm pressed into the corner, trying to drown out Dakota, who is the final one to tell her story. She and Ida are the only ones who did not know their rapists. Finally, they all turn to me.

"What happened to you?" Mr. J says gently. "We have shared our stories, now you share yours." They have all been together for a while, so I can believe that they are pretty comfortable with each other, probably heard the stories many times.

I think I'm going to throw up, not in disgust but in plain terror. I am covered in cold sweat and I can tell my PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) is acting up. I draw my coat closer around me.

"I can't remember." I whimper quietly. "I don't want to talk about it!"

Flower, the youngest in the group; sadly, only about six or seven speaks up.

"You have to tell your story! We told you ours! It's the rule!"

"And I didn't ask for your stupid stories!" I shout at her. "I don't want to think about what happened… I just want to move on with my life!" Mr. J raises an eyebrow at me. For the first time since I arrived, he speaks with a cool, not so warm tone.

"She is right. It is the rules that you have to share your story. I understand that this is a stressful time for you, but you must share if sooner or later. It will only build up your fear if you continue to delay it."

"I want to go home." I yelp out. I get some sympathetic looks at that, but not from Mr. J.

"I don't think that's an option." He says calmly. "At least not until you tell us."

I go to the door but it's locked. Glaring at him, I return to the corner, burying my face in my hands.

"You can either tell us, or I can read your file." He says coldly. I glance up at the folder he is carrying.

"Don't touch that." I growl trying to snatch it from him but he avoids it.

"Talk to us Paul." Stephanie says softly, "We've all been through the same thing. We understand." She looks at me with warm brown eyes. "We know what it feels like to be afraid. But you're safe here." I glare at her but it is feeble. I try again at the folder before returning to the 'safety' of my corner.

Mr. J opens my folder calmly, turning to the front page.

"Don't." I say desperately, covering my ears.

"Mr. Jones Faulk was convicted of raping Paul Shinji after numerous sexual assaults during 1st period lunch-"

"Stop it!" I yell angrily. "You don't understand!"

"It was first discovered by Gary Oak, but he was convinced by Shinji, that because of the threat Faulk offered, not to tell anyone. He made sure that Shinji was ok however, making him remove his shirt to check him. He described Shinji's body as being, 'covered in bruises, he was so thin… I could have crushed him with one hand. Not to mention all the bites along his neck and shoulders. And he kept biting his lip whenever he got nervous or was reminded of what was going on'-"

"PLEASE STOP IT! I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!" I scream at him, I am on the edge of tears, trying to hold them in. "Stop it…. please stop it…." I try and reach lamely for the folder again and he again pulls it away. I try again in again, burying my head in my hood, mumbling incoherently.

I feel gentle hands take me by the shoulders and force me to sit down in my original seat. I try and push them away half heartedly but they avoid it.

"Calm down…" the voice whispers softly. "It's alright…" Mr. J continues, and I find myself stuffing the end of my overlarge sleeve into my mouth to keep myself from outright sobbing.

"Paul Shinji was raped a second time however, much more violently. The damage from this left him unable to return home, and was only rescued because of his Torterra's quick thinking. The pokemon fetched his brother and second guardian Brandon along with Oak." He read more about the damage that I had suffered. "Now that is what the file says, but I want to hear about what happened to you. Did that strike your memory? What actually happened in the house? You never told anyone that. The only things mentioned were told by Gary."

I open my mouth to tell him to leave me alone but the only thing that comes out is a choke and a whimper. My throat has closed up on me, I know that the only way to clear it is to cry….. I refuse to do that with these people. I need Gary….

I bring my knees to my chest, trying to breathe but finding myself unable to. Completely unable to. I gasp for breath, breathing in and out at an extreme pace. I can't seem to calm down enough to draw and oxygen however.

"He's hyperventilating…" Nick says immediately jumping forward to help me. "Come on, calm down. Breathe buddy, breathe…" Mr. J approaches me quickly when I start to cough, my whole body desperate for air-

"Paul. You have to breathe."

"He can't!" Ida shouts, fear showing plainly in her eyes.

"Paul, you have to breathe." He says calmly looking into my eyes. I begin to kick, struggling even harder. "You have to breathe."

His calmness is making me even angrier. For one second, I'm not even sure if I'm angry. My emotions aren't easy to read in this moment. None except for one.

Fear.

Fear because I can't breathe.

Fear because, I'm finding that remembering, isn't quite as hard as I thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's Chapter Six! Sorry for the wait! Review if you can! Thanks!**

Chapter Six:

**Paul:**

I clutch my chest tightly as I gasp for air. I can't do it… I can't breathe… I can't talk about what happened…..

I can feel hot tears on my face and people yelling around me. I ignore them. Why should I care what they think… why does it matter to me what happened to them…..

But it does… Because the same thing happened to me. I choke on tears now pouring down the back of my throat. Coughing, but unable to stop breathing fast, my body begins to heave violently. I feel hands lift me into the air but I shy away from them. They are however stronger, and I find myself leaning against a well-muscled chest.

It takes over ten minutes for me to be able to breathe again, and another five for me to completely calm down. At first I try and push all of them away, but I soon become so tired that I don't even bother; I just close my eyes.

Mr. J is the first one to speak.

"The session is over today. You'll talk to us next week Paul, when you are more prepared I hope." His hand is gently resting on my upper back, and I find it surprisingly comforting.

"Sir.." I stutter out. He is already walking away. I stumble off of the lap of the person I'm sitting on. "I'm sorry…" I whisper. "I ruined the session, I let my stupid PTSD get to me and-"

"It is unavoidable. PTSD cannot be controlled simply." He smiles at me. "It is fine. Remember Paul, you're young. Don't let one setback be the only thing that decides your life path."

…..

When I get out to the waiting room, Gary is already there, and according to everyone else, he had basically been there the whole time. The second he sees me, he's at my side, hugging me desperately.

"Are you ok?" he asks, his hands traveling along my tearstained face. I nod, biting my lip. "You don't look it… come on, let's get you home."

By the time we get home, I'm so tired I can barely stand. My mind is not really functioning and my body feels as if it is about to collapse. Gary holds me up however, and I enjoy snuggling against him.

At dinner, it is slightly awkward. Gary won't talk to his parents. Seems he blames them for my breakdown in the therapy room… He told them all about it. Happens to be he heard my screaming and panicked, had to be held down by the staff and waiting room people.

I'm not really hungry, and this kind of freaks everyone out. I sit, my fork playing with the mash potatoes quietly, while everyone stares at me.

"What?" I ask softly, looking up.

"Do you want something else?" Gary's mom asks worriedly, "We can make you whatever you want…"

"The food's fine, Mrs. Oak. I'm just not hungry."

"Oh." She looks down again.

Mr. Oak tries next. "Are you sure that you're ok Paul? This must be a stressful time for you… especially with the reporter coming tomorrow and-"

"WHAT!?" Gary and I shout out together. I don't say anything else, just bury my face in my hands. Gary on the other hand continues to shout at his father furiously, telling him all about how _stressed, and tired, and how my PTSD acted up today. That I am in no condition to be giving people interviews. _

"The police will be there as well. There was… another accident today." I freeze, looking up.

"What happened?" I croak out.

"His old house went up in flames. The people living there with it."

"How many?" I ask softly.

"How many what?"

"People…"

"Oh a family of six."

"Children?" I whisper, putting my head down on the table. They seem to realize what was wrong.

"Oh Paul, it's not your fault…"

"Not my fault…. What the hell does he want?!" I shout furiously, standing up. I head to the front door, not even bothering to grab my coat. All exhaustion has left me, and I am running on pure adrenaline. "I'm going to kill him! Those people did nothing! If he wants me, then he can come face me!" I throw open the door, running outside, my hand gripped tightly on Torterra's pokeball.

"Paul! Come back please!" Mr. Oak shouts from the house. Gary on the other hand is following me.

"Paul, you're not prepared to fight anyone. Get back here now." I don't even turn, just continue walking down the street towards, where for some reason, I know he is. "Paul! Come back." I hear his footsteps quicken as he breaks into a run. I leap forward into a sprint, knowing that eventually he will catch me because of longer legs.

I turn the corner to where he found me before, stopping abruptly.

"I know that you're there. Come out." I shout into the darkness, my body filled with fear. But I don't care; one person compared to seven people was nothing. Especially when that one person wasn't even worth much….

"Paul, get over here." Gary growls angrily.

I ignore him, shouting again. "Come out! I don't want anyone else hurt! Please!" Finally, in the distance I can just make out a figure coming from the alley, walking towards me in dead silence. This is where he kidnapped me the second time, and I knew that he was here. Memories start to flash but I ignore them, both terrified and angry.

"I knew that you would come," a single voice speaks slowly. "I am glad that you have finally decided to arrive however. I was afraid you were to selfish for a moment." I glare at Mr. Faulk as he steps from the shadows. "Ah, and Gary."

Gary grabs me, holding me back. "Paul, we're going to run, you understand?" I shake my head.

"No." I say, "I want to know what he wants." I turn to him and state my question. "What do you want from me?"

He holds out his hand. "For starters, come here." Gary's hand tightens on my arm.

"That's a no." Gary says easily.

"I don't think he'll believe that." he pulls out a gun, which I seriously wonder how he got, and aims it at Gary. "You, or your lover." He says, smirking. The decision, for me, is easy. I punch Gary in the stomach to make him let go of me before taking a step towards Mr. Faulk. "Come on, little one. What do you have to be scared of?" He laughs cruelly.

"You're crazy." I say, suddenly filled with a very old fear.

"The situation feel pretty much the same huh?" he asks. "Having to do what I say to avoid someone else getting hurt… You seem to commonly be a victim to that." I close my eyes and clutch my hands tightly, walking forward the rest of the way so that I am only a few feet in front of him. "Give me Torterra's pokeball." He says calmly. "Or Gary dies." I do as he says, cursing in my head that it is the only pokemon I have on me. "Good." His hand comes and rests lightly on my shoulder.

I feel my whole body tense up, my knees are shaking and I'm pretty sure I'm about to collapse. I look up into his eyes, trying to determine what to do. He smirks, grabbing my arm roughly, hard enough to leave an instant bruise.

"Let's get out of here." He mutters, pulling me alongside him. I can barely make my feet move as we walk along the street. Gary can't follow because whenever he tries, Mr. Faulk aims the gun at me. At one point, he drags me into an alley and this is when I think I'm going to throw up.

Smirking at me, he bites onto my lips enough to make them bleed. I scream out in protest at the kiss, but the gun is enough to remind me to remain silent. Closing my eyes, I await the next part of the routine….

I hear a several pops and a yell of pain from Mr. Faulk. He drops me in an instant and I pull myself away, behind the dumpster. I hear some angry screams but I can't bring myself to look out. I hear something hit the ground next to me.

The gun. I reach out and grab it, pulling it back in with me. I hear some more voices and some footsteps retreating angrily. I hear several more pops and another shout of pain. I peek out from my hiding place to see Dawn and Gary standing at the end of the alley. Dawn is carrying a gun.

"Paul… where are you?" Gary shouts. "Paul, come on out…" I can't bring myself to move so I let out a whimper and hope that one of them hears it. Gary does and together they sprint to where I am.

"Paul! Are you ok?" Dawn asks. "I heard Gary screaming so I came outside."

"Did you kill him?"

"With what? Oh this… it's just a bee bee gun. It hurts, but I doubt it was deadly." Dawn says, "They can kill at close range though." I hand Gary the real gun slowly, shaking. Suddenly I burst into tears.

Dawn's eyes show her sympathy. Gary on the other hand just looks plain furious.

"Who do you think you are?" he growls. "You shouldn't be walking around, getting yourself hurt like that! And you wonder why you got hurt in the first place…" Dawn stares at him in shock.

"Gary, that's a terrible thing to say!"

"But it's the truth. Get a grip Paul!" he says furiously, standing up. "We're going home." I shake my head, still crying, I get to my feet.

"He stole Torterra… I got to go get him back…"

"No you don't." Gary says grabbing my roughly by the same arm Mr. Faulk had been holding. I yelp, fresh tears pouring from my eyes. Dawn looks at Gary for a moment before back at me.

"Are you guys ok?" she asks.

"I don't know!" I wail, trying to pull away from Gary. "Let go Gary! You're hurting me!" This triggers something and he loosens his grip.

"Come on. Thanks Dawn."

"Shouldn't you call the police?"

"And give them another reason to try and talk to Paul? No." Gary says pulling me along with him. I try and push him away but he's stronger. Dawn waves goodbye but neither of us return it. Me, because I'm too busy trying to control my crying, him because he's thinking.

When we get home, he literally throws me on my bed and tells me to stay there.

I don't get a moment of sleep that night; I can't seem to stop crying.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

Chapter Seven:

**Gary:**

I stare up at the teacher blankly, my mind wandering. I haven't talked to Paul in almost a week now, and it was killing me. I'm not sure if he wanted to talk to me or not, and for some reason, I could not bring myself to be the one to break the silence.

I glance over at Paul. He's paying close attention to our teacher, his hand casually flipping a pencil. Only someone who knew him as well as I did could see how sad he was.

This was our first day back in school, and the fact that a murder had occurred on campus was not helping the school wide moral. I sigh quietly, trying to focus on our advisor.

Finally, we are dismissed to go to first period. Battling. I watch Paul as he approaches our teacher to tell her that he can't participate because his pokemon was not available. Especially with Torterra being the only pokemon he was allowed to practice with.

"Gary, what happened to Torterra?" I hear a familiar voice behind me.

I turn to see Audrey. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Hm. Did Paul loose it?" she says smirking.

"Shut up."

"You two aren't talking." Emily says, speaking up. "At least that's what the rumors say."

"If you paid attention to the teachers as much as you do the rumors maybe you could score a good grade every once in a while."

"Hey!" she snaps angrily. I smile at her sarcastically before walking away.

"Leave Paul alone." I say behind me before heading over to where Ash is standing to ask him to be my partner for today.

Paul goes to sit down on a bench, his walk slow and uneven. I can't help but watch as he flings himself down and buries his face in his hands. Ash walks over to me.

"Why don't you talk to him? He's getting sicker by the day. Even I can tell that." Ash says calmly. "He needs you Gary."

"I know…"

"Then why don't you try and talk to him? How did this even start anyway?"

"He made a stupid move… so I yelled at him. He lost Torterra that way as well…" I explain the whole situation to Ash. Surprisingly, he just nods.

"You shouldn't have yelled, you probably scared him. Just apologize."

"And he had to go to therapy yesterday… he came back crying and I didn't do anything…. He has nightmares you know. Basically every night… and I did nothing…."

"Then end it." Ash says calmly. "Go over there and end it."

I shake my head. "I'll do it later. He doesn't look like he is in the mood to listen to me right now."

…

As I am walking down the hallway to get to lunch, I hear a loud shriek coming from just ahead of me. Audrey.

I sprint down the hallway to a gathering crowd to see what's going on. Paul is standing in the center of the group along with Audrey, whose nose is dripping with blood.

"You fricken punched me!" she shouts furiously, trying to wipe the steady flow coming from her nose. "You better not have broken it! I can't believe you hit me!"

As I try and push myself through the gathering crowd, I spot Dawn only a few feet away from Paul. She's trying to reason with Audrey.

A teacher is coming down another corridor. I try and block their path-

"Paul Shinji, what is going on here?!" Paul spins around to face him, lowering his gaze slightly.

"I don't know ma'am…"

"You don't know? Well, answer this. How did Audrey's nose start bleeding?" He glares at the teacher.

"How do you think?" he replies sarcastically.

The teacher recoils in shock. I flinch. Paul was normally quite respectful to his elders…. This wasn't good….

"Why don't you come with me, Mr. Shinji." It was not a question. His eyes widen for a second before shaking his head. He doesn't like to be alone with any adult really anymore…. At least one he doesn't know well. "That wasn't an option. Come." The crowd clears a path for him.

He cautiously approaches, hesitantly stepping within a few feet of him. The teacher motions for him to follow, which he does, though staying a generous ten feet behind her. I pursue them quickly, trying to stay just out of sight.

I hear a yelp up ahead and break into a run. Paul is glaring at the teacher. The teacher is replying with a similar expression. I stop, hiding just behind the corner.

Crossing her arms, the teacher speaks slowly, and with deliberate anger. "What, Mr. Shinji. You're in enough trouble already."

"I-I don't like being touched by anyone." He answers slowly, taking a step back and the glare fading from his face. "Sorry."

"Did you hit Audrey?" Silence follows her question. She glares at him again before grabbing his arm roughly despite his protests. My fists tighten, fingernails digging into my skin. "Did you?"

He nods, keeping his gaze low.

"Why?" she asks coolly. He shrugs.

"She said things she shouldn't have said." He answers angrily.

"Come with me." The teacher says again. I follow them again, careful not to be noticed. They enter the office and the teacher leaves to go find the dean, leaving Paul alone. I open the door quickly and approach him.

I put my hand on his arm and he jumps.

"Gary?" he asks quietly.

I swallow nervously. He does not make eye contact with me.

"Look… I'm sorry ok? I shouldn't have ignored you-"

"It was stupid of me! I shouldn't have overreacted… If I hadn't Torterra would still be here-"

"If Dawn hadn't had the gun, he could have killed you-"

"AND I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER! BUT NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY NOT TO, IT'S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW!" Paul shouts, tears starting. "But it I don't… someone else could get hurt…."

I freeze. He wraps his arms around himself, avoiding eye contact with me. I swallow hard. I lean forward and wrap my arms around him.

"I'm so sorry." I whisper. "I know it's hard, but it's for the best…"

"I hate that it's actually working."

"What's working?"

"Therapy…. The way they all talk… the way they all feel…. Their experiences. They're not exactly the same but they aren't much different either…"

"Let it work then." Paul looks up at me finally. "Let it work."

He bites his lip, his old habit coming back. I take my hand and grip his chin until he lets go.


End file.
